Everlasting Light
by MysteryRiddle
Summary: Hohenheim never left his wife and sons. Will his change of heart save them from the horrors they faced?
1. Fight Inside

**_I_ _DON'T__ OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST OR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD. IT BELONGS TO HIROMU ARAKAWA AND ALL RESPECTIVE OWNERS._**

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Van Hohenheim had always wondered why he had put more people at risk. Those people were his wife, Trisha and his two sons, Edward and Alphonse. Many times Hohenheim had contemplated whether to disappear, to leave them. He lay in bed one night, Trisha awake next to him. Tonight, Hohenheim had thought hard of how it would affect his family. He thought he was just a hinderance to them, but he knew they cared dearly for him.

He thought back over his past. Trusting Homunculus was the first of many mistakes he made. His knowledge grew over the centuries, as he was essentially immortal. Hohenheim then met Trisha Elric in Resembool. Trisha was the one person who made him long for a normal life. This desire grew as he became a father. Hohenheim wanted to grow old with Trisha, not live to see his sons die before him. But, sadly, Hohenheim knew that Homunculus would come after his family one day. So would any other homunculi he knew the demon may have created.

Hohenheim looked over at Trisha, unknown to her. He knew she would respect any decision of his if it was for the better of their children. Hohenheim decided that Trisha should have a choice in this matter.

"Trisha," Hohenheim said, slightly worriedly. Trisha turned around, her eyes filled with their never-ending warmth.

"Van," she said with a slight frown, "is something the matter?' "You know of my past," he began, "also of the danger it is to you and the children." Trisha's frown deepened as he continued, "I need you to help me make a decision, that will effect us greatly. I will respect any solutions that will help us.' Hohenheim took a deep breath, "Would it be better for you and the children if I ...left?"

Trisha eyes widened. "We would lose you, and ultimately gain more danger without you?! I know you think you are bad for us, but you give the best you can for us. You always try your hardest, and we won't be the same without you."

Trisha had also discovered that her husband had been holding some guilt and self-hatred inside, as he was basically an open book to her. She also knew that their sons would come to resent their father if he left.

Trisha sighed. "We will cope with any problems we face. We'll do it for the boys, for _us_. Even though alchemy got you into this mess, it can help us out of it. Ed and Al are already interested in alchemy. I saw them looking through your Alchemy books the other day. When they become older, you can teach them what you know."

Hohenheim spoke, "But, what about now? They could attack anytime before I get the chance to teach them anything." He sounded as though he would never have a chance against any enemy. Hohenheim always underestimated his abilities, similar to how he would rarely accept praise.

Trisha scoffed lightly, "You're powerful enough to defeat any enemy we might have to face. They"ll never know what hit them.

Hohenheim blushed, "Uh, um-" Trisha gave a small laugh, and Hohenheim cracked a smile. Things would slowly, but surely get better. They would ready for any horrors that would come there way.

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**The idea for the plot was made with my friend, audaciousaudino, who has an already finished story with a similar plot line, though they will differ very much. There will be no set update time as I do not know what direction this story will take.**


	2. Not Alone

_**I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST OR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD**_

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_ It had been almost four years since the day Hohenheim had decided to stay. The Ishvalan war was still going on, and was steadily growing worse. Hohenheim had sought out why it had started as soon as he saw the toll it took on both Ishval and Amestris rise. He knew he was rather famous with the State Alchemists, as his accomplishments in Alchemy had been spread far and wide. Hohenheim used a little piece of fame to investigate. It turned out that a soldier had 'accidentally' shot and killed an Ishvalan child. He looked for anything else about the soldier, but he could not ind out anything else. It could have been a new group of rogue soldiers or even Homunculus. The violence was now affecting more and more of Amestris. More soldiers were getting deployed over to Ishval every day. _

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Hohenheim had always been an early riser. Dawn had barely broke, its glow bathing the room in an orange light. He stretched and yawned, careful not to wake Trisha. She actually had a sensible time of waking up. He quickly got dressed and fixed his hair. Hohenheim stepped out of the room and went to check on the boys. He had done this for a while, in his efforts to strengthen his relationship with the boys. He didn't know if they knew about it. Hohenheim had begun to teach them the beginning fundamentals of Alchemy. They had hung on to his every last word. He softly opened the door, smiling softly at what he saw. Ed was sprawled out on the bed, his a lone piece of hair swaying as he breathed. On the other hand, Al was curled up in the corner with his hair all messed up. He quietly shut the door.

He also usually took a walk in the morning. Taking care to leave a note for Trisha on a scrap of paper, Hohenheim headed down the street. He faintly saw the Rockbell residence over the top of the hill. Hohenheim had heard from Pinako that Urey and Sara had went off to Ishval. They were doctors, and he guessed that they had gone out to help out both injured Ishvalans and soldiers. The military would be grateful for their help. However, they would not take the Rockbells helping the Ishvalans lightly. Hohenheim hoped for their safety. Pinako and him were good friends and they had been drinking buddies. He had also met Trisha through Pinako.

He neared the house, and he could see that the front door was wide open. Hohenheim knocked on the frame of the door.

"Hi!" Winry appeared at the door. She looked excited and wide awake, even though it was the crack of dawn.

"Hello, Winry. Is Pinako here?"

She broke into a large grin. "She is working on a patient. Grandma's fitting on an automail arm. Come on, I'll show you!" Before he could reply, she tried to drag me to the room they used for operating. Winry was strong for a nine-year old, but not enough to pull him. Pinako was indeed working on a patient, who was occasionally giving yelps of pain. The patient looked rather startled when he saw Hohenheim. Pinako, however, didn't seem very surprised to see him.

"Hey. What you doing here for, Hohenheim?" She was still working on the patient's arm, who was to entranced with the pain to follow the conversation.

"I just came walking by and your door was open. I decided to check on you two, and Winry answered the door."

Pinako nodded to the man she was helping. "He had got in an accident and rushed over here by himself."

Hohenheim had just noticed the bloody rags on the table. "That explains it. You seem busy. Should I go home?"

"Nah, you can stay. He's a stronger patient than others." The mentioned person looked happy at the comment, but grimaced as she connected another nerve.

Winry spoke up. "You see that wrench Grandma's using? It's so awesome that it fixes everything! Well, not everything, but the last patient got his leg done in only a few hours." Winry seemed to be as infatuated with automail and mechanics as Ed and Al were with Alchemy.

"You are going to be just like your grandmother when you get older, aren't you?" She nodded fervently, and Hohenheim gave a chuckle.

Winry looked as though she was going to answer, but frowned instead.

"What's that noise," she questioned.

Hohenheim had thought he had heard something also, but he hadn't been sure. It sounded like something was crunching outside. He headed towards the door, with Winry on his heels. He looked out and saw an automobile. Hohenheim couldn't see who was in the car, but saw the small flag in the back. It was the military's official flag. It seemed to be heading in the direction of his house, which was the only other one on the road.

Hohenheim grimaced. He knew that they would eventually ask him for some assistance.

"Well," he sighed, "I must be going. It seems I have some company. Tell your grandmother that I've gone home."

Winry gave him a questioning look before nodding. "Bye."

He hurriedly walked down the street. He had suspected that State Alchemists would soon be sent out, and soon seemed to be now. Hohenheim was not a State Alchemist nor did he have very much contact with Central. Nevertheless, he seemed to fall into the same group as them. Inserting Alchemists into the picture would just leave them in a stalemate of warfare, as Ishvalans were known to have a severe dislike for Alchemy.

Nearing the house, Hohenheim could see the car parked outside. He walked up to the front door, but didn't open the door. He had an eerie feeling that something more than an average soldier had come to meet him. Hohenheim didn't want to blow his cool on a general and get himself arrested. He shook his head. He had wife and kids to worry about and couldn't get caught in a web of what-ifs.

Suddenly, Hohenheim felt a jolt of realization. He remembered an almost identical feeling. It had been centuries ago since he had last sensed it, but it felt like yesterday. It was closely similar to Homunculus. It had the same strong sense of immortality, though it was much weaker. He could not let this _thing _harm anybody, least of all his family.

Hohenheim quickly stopped himself before he barged in there and blew the thing to pieces. He couldn't let it know that there was anything out of the ordinary. He had heard no commotion and was sure that nothing had happened yet. They were probably waiting for him. Hohenheim took a deep breath and pushed the door opened.

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**Camping is the cause for lack of updating. The dates for the Ishvalan Civil War has been pushed forward and it is now early 1909. Ed and Winry are nine, while Al is eight. Ed and Al should be coming in the next chapter or so.**


	3. Love Will Leave A Mark

_**I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST OR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD**_

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Trisha's eyes fluttered open, slowly blinking the last of the sleep from her eyes. Her gaze fell to the empty bed space next to her, than to the note by the lamp. Every morning, Trisha would wake to see it in the exact same place on the nightstand. On it would be Hohenheim's tidy scrawl saying he took a walk. Sometimes she wondered if he just reused the same piece of paper, but the slowly decreasing stack of paper in his library discouraged her thoughts. For the first month after her husband started doing this, she'd had a minuscule fear that she'd wake up and he'd be gone for good. This feeling was long gone now, and Trisha had shamefully realized that she should have trusted Hohenheim.

She got up, quickly ridding her mind of the past as she dressed. A short glance at the clock told Trisha that it was time to get the boys up.

She peered into her children's room, where they were still dead to the world.

"Ed! Al! Time for you to wake up!"

Al rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up. Ed muttered something incoherently and rolled back on the pillow.

"Edward," she started, but she could tell he was already asleep. Trisha sighed, but smiled. He'd always been tough to wake up in the morning.

"Al, will you wake him? I have to make breakfast." She headed toward the kitchen as he nodded.

Al got out of bed, shuffled toward Edward's bed and shook him. "Brother wake up!"

Ed slowly turned toward him and opened his eyes. He gave a rather high-pitched scream. "Ah!"

Al was right in front of his face, glaring at him. The glare faltered, and then the room was full of Al's laughter.

Edward scowled and stepped over Al who was on the floor recovering. He threw on his favorite red shirt and some jeans, and Alphonse quickly followed suit.

Their mother poked her head inside the door."You boys okay in there? I thought I heard a yell." She gave a smile as Al gave a giggle and Ed's scowl deepened. "Breakfasts ready so lets eat." She ushered them out of the room and shut the door.

Ed and Al chattered up a storm as they ate, but their mother hadn't said a word. Trisha was getting worried. Hohenheim was usually home by half past eight, but it was nine. She mentally chided herself. She was overreacting over such a little thing of him being a half an hour late. She guessed she was just used to him being always there by her side. She hoped it wouldn't begin to be a problem in the long run.

Trisha's eyes strayed from the window as she heard Ed call her.

"Mom, are you okay?" He looked worried and had probably noticed her similar expression.

She shook herself from her worries and smiled softly. "I'm fine. I'm just worrying about things that can take care of themselves."

"You mean Dad?" Al piped up.

Trisha blushed, and opened her mouth to defend herself.

"Dad can take care of himself," Ed interrupted. "He most likely just struck up a conversation with old Granny Pinako and doesn't know the time.'

Her blush deepened disgruntled, but slightly proud at her children's deductions. She quickly changed the subject to save herself from further confrontations. "So, are you done eating?" Both boys nodded and she scooped up their dishes. She noticed that Ed's glass of milk was untouched.

"You know," she said as she washed the dishes, "you're not going to get very tall if you don't drink your milk, Ed." Edward gave a squeak of indignation and she could hear Alphonse giggle. Trisha continued, "You don't want to stay a little kid forever do you?" Al's giggles turned into laughs and Ed turned an angry red. She smiled and ruffled his hair. "Just kidding. But, seriously, drink your milk next time." Ed calmed down slightly and gave a small nod.

"Now go wash up." The boys hurried and raced each other to the bathroom.

Trisha wondered how she could have ended up with such a wonderful family. She had the deepest love for not only them, but her friends also. Since she was a little girl, she had dreamed of being the perfect mother, as her own mother had died in childbirth. She didn't know what it was like to feel a mother's warmth. Though, she knew a few women who felt like surrogate mothers to her. But, Trisha knew that she would have to care and cherish her family, all the while being the strength that kept it together. Now, years later, she hoped she had achieved that goal.

Before she could dive deeper into the joys of being a mother, she heard a faint noise. It sounded like what she'd imagined to be tires on a gravel road, but she didn't know how she knew. Who would come all the way out here to Resembool, let alone come in a car. Trisha peered out the window. Coming down the hill was indeed an automobile which was dark and had tinted windows. It looked as though there was some sort of banner or flag hanging in the back. She heard footsteps behind her as Ed and Al came and peered out the window.

"Who's in the car?"

"Why are they here?"

"I am afraid I don't have an answer for either of your questions." Trisha sighed, "I guess we'll have to wait and see. Your father's not back though."

"Where is he?" she muttered to herself, though she was sure her children had heard clear as day.

She sat in one of the chairs, Ed and Al following suit. Trisha wished that her husband was with them, he'd know what to do if anything terrible happened. She realized that if someone really wanted to hurt her, they probably would not go through all these theatrics to do so. She couldn't take any chances, though.

The noise slowly grew until it was at its loudest and then stopped. Through the window, Trisha could now clearly see the flag. She recognized the field of green with a dragon on it. It was the military's flag.

She whispered, "What would the Amestris state military want with us?"

Maybe they'd come to talk to Hohenheim, but why? To her knowledge, he hadn't been to Central in years, only to search about the Ishvalan Civil War... The Ishvalan Civil War! They must want his advice, his help to finish it. But she knew Hohenheim had enough violence centuries ago in the slaughter of Xerxes. He would not help make Ishval another Xerxes.

Trisha heard the car door shut, then the sound of boots climbing the steps. Then someone knocked.

She strode to the door, not even acknowledging the worried looks her sons gave her. She opened the door.

The blue military coat. The dark hair and mustache. The eye-patch. The two swords at his waist.

"Führer Bradley."

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**At first, I wasn't going to write this chapter, but then I decided to. What was originally going to be chapter three will be the next chapter. The part about Trisha's mom is not canon and will most likely not be mentioned again.**


	4. Wasting Time

**_I_ _DON'T__ OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST OR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD. IT BELONGS TO HIROMU ARAKAWA AND ALL OTHER RESPECTIVE OWNERS._**

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Hohenheim had been surprised many times before in his lifetime. But this surpassed a lot of the things he had seen before. He decided that he had now seen practically everything. He was not really sure what he was expecting when he had opened the door. The last person - or thing - he thought he'd see was the Führer King Bradley.

Was that feeling coming from him, or from some other random Homunculus-feeling object on his person? He realized that it must be Bradley, though he wanted to find a reason for it not to be him. He was not a person who dabbled in politics, but he'd always wondered how King Bradley had risen through the ranks so fast. The Führer must be the reason for the constant warfare that the country was in.

The Führer was sitting on one of the armchairs in the living room, presumably waiting for him. He was looking at Hohenheim with keen interest, like he was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. He probably was in Bradley's eyes, if his visit here was anything to go by.

Trisha was in the kitchen, drinking a cup of tea and occasionally casting nervous glances at her guest. Her face turned from worried to relieved when she spotted her husband.

"Van!" Her voice was full of relief. Hohenheim internally winced as he thought of how worried his wife must have been. The clock above Trisha's head said that he had been gone for almost four hours. Was he really that slow?

Edward and Alphonse looked out from their room. They had been told to go to their room when the Führer had come. Apparently their mother had to discuss 'adult matters that weren't for children' with him. That didn't mean that they couldn't listen to the conversation through the door, though. Sound traveled rather well in their small house.

Hohenheim stood in the doorway for a moment before approaching Trisha. He was careful to look like he was ignoring Führer Bradley. He was actually accessing his appearance for anything suspicious. He looked like any normal soldier, accept for the multiple swords on him. He knew that you couldn't judge a person by their looks, for he was living proof of how much someone could be different than their skills.

He gave Trisha a hug; her body was tense from worry. He whispered in her ear. "Don't worry, I will take care of him. I won't be going anywhere, nor will I let anything happen to you guys." She nodded with a small smile.

Turning toward Bradley, he forced himself to act natural. A part him wanted to kick the man out and act like the feeling was just a fluke of his paranoid brain. Another wanted to just kill him and get it over with. The best bet would to get some information out of him, find out what's happening, and_ then_ kill him and any others. Any of those would probably end up getting him killed, but the last choice was the safest.

They just stared at each other for a moment. Finally Bradley stood up and held his hand out. "Hello." Hohenheim hesitantly shook his outstretched hand. This was going to end up being terribly awkward.

"Hello." He sat down on the couch opposite the Führer, his face stoic.

The ruler of Amestris didn't react to the lack of surprise he probably heard/saw when people were in his presence. "I am here behalf of the Amestris State are looking for your assistance in the civil war we are currently having with Ishval."

Hohenheim knew that's what the man was here for, but he didn't think he would just blatantly say it. He didn't let his surprise show, though.

The Führer continued. "This is still rather sensitive information, but I think I can trust you. We are planning to send alchemists to Ishval, State Alchemists. The military thinks it will help the Ishvalans realize that they are making mistakes. I personally believe that we have been too soft with them and that they need to be terminated." His voice was vindictive, bordering sadistic.

Hohenheim's face revealed no emotion, but inside he was recoiling with disgust and hatred. No human he had met, even psychopath mass murderers, had been so sadistic when talking about the genocide of a population. Did the Führer think he was a fool and would accept his request? Or did he think he would be able to kill Hohenheim if he refused? Bradley obviously knew Hohenheim was powerful, but he must think that whatever power he possessed would dominate any opponent. He probably would not flaunt his plan of mass destruction otherwise.

It will essentially be another Xerxes, except for the making of a philosopher's stone. Wait. The Führer was almost identical to Homunculus. It would be _exactly _like Xerxes including the philosopher's stone. He had to put a stop to this. Hohenheim could not bear to see it happen again, especially when he knew it was happening.

He looked towards the kitchen to see how Trisha was taking the conversation, but his wife was nowhere in sight. Hohenheim realized that she probably was with the boys to assure everything was fine. And to make sure that they wouldn't eavesdrop.

The Führer was oblivious to Hohenheim's distraction. "If you would accept my offer, you would have to become a State Alchemist. You would have to take the test in front of the examiners in a few weeks, but I'm sure you would pass with flying colors." He smiled, so unlike his previous state of blood lust. One of those emotions must have been out of character for him, and Hohenheim prayed that it was the former.

"What do you think of my offer? Do you accept it?"

Hohenheim took a second before replying. "No, I do not accept. I do not want to fight in your war, nor do I want to become a State Alchemist. My decision is final and nothing you can say will make me change my mind. Your wasting your time here." Well, that came out rather blunt. It was the cold, honest truth, yet he feared it would not do him much good.

The Führer of Amestris blinked. Once. Twice.

"Are you sure? Your assistance would be very beneficial to our country, and it w-"

Hohenheim couldn't take it anymore. He shot up. "No it will not. You are just planning the annihilation of Ishval. And for your own sickening desires, too. To make the philosopher's stone!" Fuck, why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut. Damn impulsive anger.

He seemed rather unfazed. "Oh and how did you come up with that theory?"

"I am not an idiot. It has happened before, and I am prepared to stop it from happening now." There goes the plan he had.

The Führer stood up. "Well I'm sorry to say that I can't let that happen. I'm sure we will find another suitable candidate for the sacrifice."

King Bradley drew his blade, but Van Hohenheim was already transmuting.

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**_Hohenheim really has to try to control his temper! It is going end up getting him in a lot of trouble some day. I know Envy is supposed to be the more sadistic one, but his name is Wrath for a reason._**


End file.
